Terrific Reading Group
Topic: Australian History
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For the next few weeks you shall be working in groups of 3 or 4 students and you shall be using the informative text called "Discover: The History of Australia, Reflections on Our Nation's Past, The People & Events the Events that have Shaped the Lucky Country" published by the Herald Sun.

We will begin our literary adventure by reading and preparing a summary about the following interesting topics to help us understand the History of Australia. Each group will be responsible for reading one of the following sections and then sharing with everyone in the Terrific Reading Group, what they thought was interesting about it.

18th February
This week we shall look at the topics about this sunburnt country:
1. My island home - from humble beginnings we evolved into a democratic multicultural commonwealth
2. Drifting apart - A break up of epic proportions created a great island nation
3. Weather watch - From extreme heat to freezing cold, two systems give rise to our unique climate
4. Cook's great endeavor - A love for the sea becomes an epic, historic voyage
5. The great pebble - Once it was the sediment in a primeval sea; today Uluru stands tall and proud in our red centre
6. I love her jewel sea - Poet Dorethea MacKellar fell in love with the Great Barrier Reef, with good reason
7. Wild things - Our unique and unusual animals intrigue the


Week beginning 24th February

Government
Before we read about the Federation of Australia in the “Reins of Power” section of Discover: The History of Australia magazine (starts on page 100),
write down as many facts as you can about government in Australia.
Think about:
  • The leaders,
  • What the government is responsible for,
  • Names of groups or parties that you have heard of,
  • What you know about how the states were formed,
  • How decisions are made and
  • How we choose our leaders.

Write your information in three sections to show all your new learning and understandings :
  • What I know before reading
  • What I would like to find out
  • What I know after reading


Week beginning 4th March

Party Politics


After reading pages 106-107 in the Discover: The History of Australia magazine we learn that the best way to make your voice heard in Australian public life is to join a political party. In this way, you can become a Member of Parliament and lobby for what is important to you.

The three main political parties that exist today are

  • the Labor Party,
  • the Liberal Party and
  • the National Party.

There are more than 70 other registered political parties, and many of these are concerned with specific issues such as family rights or weapon control.

If you were to start your own political party, what would it look like?
Use the plan to help organise your thinking.

PARTY NAME:

MAIN POLICIES:

1.

2.

3.


MEMBERS:

WHAT YOU’D BE KNOWN FOR:

WHERE YOU WOULD MEET:



13th March

Burke & Wills
As we learn in the Discover: The History of Australia magazine, Robert Burke and William Wills werepart of a group who, in 1861, set off to be the first explorers to cross Australia from south to north.

Read their remarkable story on pages 60-61, and try and imagine what it would have been like to make the exhausting 10-month trek.

TASK
Choose either Robert Burke or William Wills, and write a detailed obituary. Be sure to include:
  • • Full name
  • • Date of birth
  • • Story of his life
  • • Cause of death
  • • What he’ll be remembered for 


You are encouraged to do some further research to find out as much as you can about your chosen explorer and add the extra details to your obituary.


You can find some examples of an obituary in the Herald Sun newspaper. Here is an example for a well known Australian Roy Higgins.